A VISIT TO ST LOUIS
by ulyferal
Summary: Sirius goes to St. Louis tracking a death eater. What does Voldemort want in the U.S.?
1. Chapter 1

**A VISIT TO ST. LOUIS**

**Chapter 1: A Brit in America**

"What the hell am I doing here? I should have let one of those younger snots from the order do this but nooo...I had to put my two knuts worth in and Dumbledore called me on it. Sometimes, Sirius, you are your own worst enemy," a black haired, tall man with a straggly black mustache and rakish good looks, wearing clothing that barely looked appropriate for modern times, chastised himself, as he moved rapidly along a busy sidewalk an hour or so before dark.

Despite his grousing, he had to admit this place was fascinating and definitely his kind of hangout. If it weren't for that bleeding war, he'd love to stay here for a while and check things out.

But he was here on business. They had word a death eater by the name of Yeager Monksworth (what a name to be stuck with) had come here on a special mission for the Dark Lord. No one was sure what he was supposed to be looking for or getting here but anything Voldemort was interested in, the order needed to investigate and stop.

Sighing, Sirius Black hurried without seeming to, as he followed the person he'd been tailing for the past two weeks now. He had to keep a low profile so the man wouldn't know he was being shadowed. This wasn't too hard a task as the streets were filled with people going about their business.

He'd received the usual warnings about this part of St. Louis from contacts that lived in both worlds. It had been an eye opening learning experience to learn vampires, werewolves and other preternatural creatures were out in the open and living among the muggles more or less peacefully. (Of course, there were still those that killed what they hated and feared so it wasn't all that safe around here.) One had to be very circumspect about revealing what they were despite the openness that was professed to exist.

He didn't need a warning to be cautious despite his usual nature of recklessness. He could plainly feel the suspicion and nervousness of the muggles he passed despite their outward eagerness to partake of the scary and dangerous.

'Guess muggles just like being frightened for the hell of it,' he mused.

Still, despite the need to be alert to danger, Sirius couldn't deny the exhilaration of being in a place that was modern, exciting and allowed the supernatural to walk among them just like anyone else.

While staying in the house of a squib, the one who had been monitoring Monksworth for them until he could get here, he could clearly see why muggle students had so much trouble adjusting to the magical world.. He'd been introduced to all the cool modern conveniences and toys: washer and dryers, microwaves, computers, TVs, movie houses, video games (now those would be so useful during those dreadfully long meetings and stakeouts), CD players, cell phones, Ipods, cool looking clothes and fast food (he could get fat on that but oh how he loved french fries and fat juicy burgers. He'd never ate so well before.) and found it all fantastic and fun but if he was forced to make a choice between the modern muggle world and the magical one, he would choose magic.

Shaking off his musings, he realized his quarry had entered an area with the highest concentration of preternaturals he'd ever felt since arriving in St. Louis. He could feel their heat energy easily as they walked past him, making the hair on his neck rise.

Before coming here, he had no idea there were so many different types of Weres and hadn't believed his informant, but after being here for more than two weeks, he was forced to believe him. He'd already detected a rat, leopard, wolves (of course), and OMG was that a lion that just went into that store?

'Wow! Remus would just love it here. Poor bugger could finally feel at home and maybe find acceptance and peace at last. Hey, maybe these guys could help him control his beast...worth asking.' His ruminating ended when he saw his target enter an eatery called the Lunatic Café ... strange name.

He lingered on the street a few minutes before entering the place himself. Keeping himself inconspicuous, he discovered immediately why it was called such a name...the place fairly bristled with lycanthrope energy. 'Woah! Must be their local hangout. What the heck does Monksworth want here?'

Frowning to himself, Sirius casually took a seat at the long curving bar and pulled a menu out of the holder in front of him, pretending to read it while watching his target meet someone in a back corner of the café.

The person his target walked up to was sitting at a small table and was nothing special, except for being a werewolf, of course. He was dark complected with brown hair, slim body and dressed in dark blue tee and black jeans. He didn't shake Monksworth's hand, just gestured for the man to sit down.

Sirius chewed his lip as he tried to figure out how he could listen in on their conversation when his attention was forcibly dragged away by an energy that was so much stronger than anyone in here that he nearly came out of his seat to defend himself, his hand on his hidden wand.

Turning his head carefully, he saw a big man with wavy brown hair and brown eyes in a very handsome face and broad through the chest showing he worked out, entering the café and pass behind him. The man was more than six feet tall, taller than Sirius and the energy pouring off him was like a halo that Sirius could almost touch. He could see the man did have it tightly controlled which meant he was even more powerful than what Sirius was able to feel.

Gulping in shock, he realized this had to be an alpha wolf, maybe even the damn leader of the local pack here. Wow! Was he something! Sirius nearly drooled. He was bisexual and that piece of beefcake was to die for. He sighed. 'Get your mind back to work, Siri,' he scolded himself. 'Maybe hook up later...if he's willing.'

Mister tall, powerful, and oh so handsome went to sit with a large group that already sat around a corner table. Two other really big guys, one black and the other Asian, had followed him in and took seats on either side of him. Oh yes, the leader for sure because if those two weren't guards, he'd eat his wand.

A sudden, loud altercation in the corner where his target was, jerked his attention back to why he was here in the first place. Frowning, he saw the dark complected man holding Monksworth's coat collar, had pulled him over the table top so he could shout in the man's face.

"I won't be threatened by some worthless foreigner like you," he snarled hotly then stood up still holding Monksworth, shook him hard then tossed the man into another table filled with people who shouted and growled, literally, at the offender.

'Aw crap!' Sirius thought, trying to decide if he should leave or stay to find out if he could get any information from Monksworth's angry response to the attack.

Before he could make up his mind, Monksworth did a truly stupid thing...he pulled his wand.

"Die muggle scum! The Dark Lord has no need of sniveling creatures like you! Avada Kedavra!"

Out flashed that sickly green light, Sirius knew far too well, striking the werewolf, extinguishing his life instantly. The fool! He must be totally insane and arrogant to pull such a stunt in here with all these lycanthropes surrounding him. It reminded him of his sick cousin, Bellatrix.

Whatever his mind set, Sirius couldn't allow him to attack anyone else since he could tell there were no other magic users here to stop him and preternaturals weren't immune to the Killing Curse, obviously, not even mister powerful who was already on his feet, surrounded by other wolves.

Though fast and deadly in their own right, werewolves simply couldn't stop Monksworth's next spell fast enough before it killed a great many of them. Naturally, since they outnumbered him, eventually they would succeed but not before the altercation brought the local police and aurors down on them. No, this needed to end immediately and since he was the only one here who could do it...he pulled his wand, pushed his way through the blocking on lookers to reach the wizard.

"Experiallams!" he shouted, pointing his wand at his enemy.

Though startled to see another wizard, Monksworth was, unfortunately, a seasoned fighter. He quickly blocked Sirius' spell and followed up with a nasty hex which Sirius blocked easily. The battle was on.

Sirius barely noticed when the lycanthropes moved out of his way, giving the floor to the two of them. Over the next nerve-wracking minutes, the two traded spells and curses, neither gaining over the other until Sirius managed to finally disarm his opponent.

"Evanesco!" he barked...Monksworth's wand flew from his hand and Sirius quickly followed up with a "Crucio!" Sending the man writhing in agony to the floor.

Heaving for breath, Sirius kept a close eye on his prisoner. All around him a silent crowd watched and waited, silently. When he went to Monksworth side and leaned down to collect the man's wand, only then did the tableau break with everyone muttering and asking questions about what was going on.

Straightening up, Sirius blinked in surprise when the big man's guards pushed past him and picked up Monksworth, holding him between them, awaiting further orders. Despite the man still writhing and jerking in pain, they held him easily.

Before Sirius could object, explain, or do anything, the leader stepped to his side and eyed him coldly, sending a thrill of fear up his spine.

"So, are you a good guy or do we need to do something about you?" he asked coolly, his voice a pleasant tenor.

"Good guy actually."

The leader's eyes rose in surprise. "Is that a British accent I'm hearing?"

"Yes, it is. I'm Sirius Black, at your service, sir!" Sirius gave a brief nod of his head, no reason not to be polite and it could keep his hide intact as the situation was really hairy (no pun intended).

Frowning, the leader looked around a moment then spoke in a strong, firm voice, "no word of this gets to the authorities. Just say it was a minor altercation, handled by ejecting the parties involved." Heads nodded obediently.

'Oh yes, he's the leader alright,' Sirius thought, relieved the man had the authority to sweep the incident under the rug as he didn't want this brought to the attention of the American Wizarding Society either.

"Let's you and your...uh...prisoner...go somewhere more private. I would like some answers," the leader told him...Sirius clearly knew it wasn't a request as he and Monksworth were quickly and quietly hustled out of the Café and taken to an SUV in the parking lot.

He was instructed to sit in the middle seat while the Asian and another wolf went to bracket the other wizard in the seat in the rear of the SUV. The black guy took the driver's seat and yet another wolf sat beside him while the leader sat next to Sirius.

Within minutes they were on the road. No one said anything except for the moans of the prisoner. The drive took about thirty minutes and at its end, he found them pulling into a rather nice looking house with a carefully tended yard. It was situated at the end of a dead end street and set some distance from other homes.

They off loaded and headed to the front door. Inside the home was just as nice and comfortable as the outside had promised, though it was fairly obvious it was a bachelor pad as there were no feminine touches anywhere about. Interesting.

When they were assembled in the living room and the guards had spread out except for the two managing the prisoner, the leader turned to face Sirius.

"Any particular dangers we need to be aware of to contain this guy," he asked, pointing at Monksworth.

Sirius shook his head. "Not really. Without his wand he's pretty much an ordinary person but just to be on the safe side..." he pulled his wand out and barked, "Confundus!" The prisoner sighed in relief but had a very confused look on his face. "There that should hold him."

"What did you do?"

"I placed a spell of confusion on him. He won't be able to think well enough to try to escape. It'll hold for several hours before it wears off but some sturdy ropes would be a wise precaution as well," Sirius said, disarmingly.

The leader nodded. "Take him down to the basement, rear room, tie him up and you take first watch Blaine." The two guards left and hauled the prisoner out of sight.

"Would you like something to drink? My name is Richard, by the way." Richard turned away and made for the kitchen forcing Sirius to follow him. The black man and Asian were close on his heels.

"I'd love an American beer if you have one. I find I've developed a taste for a variety of them since I got here," Sirius answered, admiring the firm ass as it walked ahead of him.

"Sure, no problem." Richard went to the fridge and pulled out a Millers turning to hand it to Sirius, gesturing for the man to sit at the kitchen table. "Let's sit and talk." The black man took up a post in the doorway while the Asian went to lean against a nearby counter.

Richard sprawled in his chair appearing at ease but Sirius wasn't fooled. He could feel the tension in all those powerful bodies surrounding him. The leader's eyes were alert and watchful.

He took a seat across from the wolf and downed a huge swallow of his beer. 'Okay, how much do I tell him?' he wondered, worriedly.


	2. Chapter 2

**A VISIT TO ST. LOUIS**

**Chapter 2: Why are you here?**

Richard didn't know what to make of this British stranger or the violent magical duel he'd just witnessed, however, one thing he did know was this Sirius was an exciting creature that made his heart race and his body tighten. There was something wild and untamed in Sirius, something that called to his wolf who had strained to reach out and come to the man's aid during the fight.

He'd never felt such a connection with someone of the same sex before except for Jean-Claude but he didn't count since that had more to do with being the vampire's animal to call than being attracted to the man himself. Only that one moment when he and Anita's beasts merged during sex did anything feel close to what he felt now and that was disturbing in so many ways.

He sighed mentally. He was one seriously messed up guy.

Though he still loved Anita deep in his heart, he knew they could never be together due to all the issues he had with her other lovers and their master, Jean-Claude. Then there was his failed attempts to find another lupa...what a disaster. He was tired of the she-wolves fawning over him hoping he would choose one of them. He wanted to just wash his hands of the whole business of finding a mate. After the last blow up with Anita and the recent breakup with his wolf girl friend, he was really fed up with even trying but his wolf wouldn't stand for celibacy.

This left him with taking a male lover something he swore he would never do. However, he really had no more choices left to him. And finding a male wasn't going to be a problem, if the many interested looks he was always receiving were any indication. His only problem was getting over his aversion to being with a male and picking one he truly wanted to be with.

There was the bevy of beauties among Jean-Claude's kiss but he absolutely refused to do a vampire. It was bad enough being tied to the Master of the City and feeling a sexual tug in that direction without getting entangled with any of his kiss.

And taking a male in his pack was strictly out of the question. First, they wanted and needed him to take a female mate and breed, secondly, it would feel wrong to him as he was their leader not their friend and lover. That was a mess of a different kind he wanted to avoid.

Then there were Anita's cats...no way...that was an even bigger disaster he wanted to avoid, though he freely admitted to finding Nathaniel perfect for the more hard core BDSM scene he sometimes liked to indulge in.

He sighed and mentally shook his head, his eyes falling on the Brit staring at him curiously which told him he'd been inside his head far too long again. It was becoming a bad habit. He gave the man a wane smile.

"Sorry, too many problems taking up space in my head. You were going to tell us who you are and what went on in the café."

Sirius tilted his head and studied the man. If he thought his own life was a mess, he was getting a feeling this guy wasn't doing so well either despite being king.

He'd been about to tell a partial truth about his presence here and what part Monksworth played in it when he realized an alpha wolf this powerful could scent a lie very easily despite how good Sirius was at telling them. Besides, he wouldn't get the information he needed if he got off on the wrong foot with this guy...so the truth then.

"I was sent here to catch Monksworth not duel with him. He is a person of interest in our on going war over in Britain."

Richard frowned. "War...what war? We've not heard anything about it here and the Vampire Council would certainly have informed us of it."

Sirius smiled ruefully. "Actually they do know but since it involves only the wizarding world and they've decided to be neutral, they probably didn't feel it important to inform you. Also, since our world is hidden from muggle kind, its not surprising you've not heard about it unless you have wizard friends from here that are in the know. The only other outsiders that are aware of it are the poor blighters that live on the fringes of our community that our enemy kills to make a point."

"Muggles? What the hell is a muggle? And for that matter, what do you mean a wizarding world? We know about witches, sorcerers and wizards but not that they have a separate world," the tall black guard standing behind his leader, blurted in irritated confusion.

Sirius spread his hands outward and smiled benignly, "we're not supposed to reveal who or what we are to muggles but as you are part of the magical community too, I see no reason to keep it secret from you. In England and nearly everywhere else in the world, all magical people live in a closed community kept totally separate and secret from the rest of the normal world. We have our own government, laws, and police. As for what a muggle is, it's what magical people call non-magical people. Do you call them something different?"

The guard looked affronted. "We sometimes call people like that mundanes but we try not to as that's just plain bigotry and we get enough of that being what we are as it is so we refrain from tossing a label on the non-magical here because it would bite us in the ass worse than the problems we have with them already."

"Huh, a very sensible attitude, one I wished we'd adopted centuries ago."

"Prejudice is everywhere. As long as one group thinks they're better than another, it will always exist," Richard murmured without really thinking about it as his attention was on the incredible idea that a whole magical society existed in the first place and not because they were magical but because they had come together and formed an entire hidden society. It just boggled his mind.

"Well said and it's certainly true. Our war was started by those of pure blood thinking those of mixed blood needed to be done away with. It's been downhill ever since but the problem became a war when a crazed individual, seeking power, raised an army of death eaters and groupies and began a killing spree. Even children aren't excluded."

Richard looked angry at that. "How long has this been going on?"

"Oh...this recent war...about a couple of decades so far. My godson is at the heart of the present one, I'm afraid. Nothing I do seems to keep him from being dragged into it and that damn prophecy about him, doesn't help."

Richard felt he was getting deeper and deeper into something he shouldn't be meddling in or know about. After all, didn't he have enough problems of his own already? However, he couldn't dismiss that this war had come to his door and he couldn't just sit back and pretend it was none of his business.

Sighing, annoyed and angry that yet another problem had come calling when they were already mired in one themselves, he asked an important question.

"I don't think I want to know more about this or what that prophecy thing is about, however, I am concerned about whether this power mad idiot plans to carry his war to here."

Sirius sat back in his chair and took another drink of his beer to give him time to figure out what to say. His first impression had been right, this man was knee deep in problems of his own and had no time or inclination to be involved with anyone else's. He could certainly commiserate with that...he didn't need anyone else's problems either, however, though he was a consummate liar, somehow he just couldn't bring himself to do that to Richard.

Sighing, he said, "I can't answer that for certain, but I can tell you the fool's grand plan is to subjugate all muggles and he's been able to raise an army to do it. Unfortunately, the side of the light, which I'm a member, have only a small band of fighters and a huge population of frightened sheep that are forcing us to fight alone while whining about why we haven't done away with him yet. The dumb fools believe our idiot of a Minister of Magic's proclamation that the Dark Lord wasn't coming back when all were certain he died about five years ago. His body may have been for years but his evil spirit was very much active through his death eaters who continue their wholesale slaughter and destruction on his behalf." He paused to take another swallow from his bottle, his listeners looking shocked and tense.

"What didn't help our cause was the fool passing off the attacks as a temporary problem caused by malcontents. So when the Dark Lord did return, getting himself a body that looks more like a snake than a human and destroyed the minister's careful web of lies, we were left with the chaos and panic his stupidity caused. The death count continues to rise as we struggle against frightened people and death eaters. So in answer to your question, I bloody hope not...but things do look rather bleak right now." He gave them grave eyes as he finished his now warm beer.

When Sirius finished his tale of a war that had been going on for a very long time and could now encroach on his world, Richard was angry and momentarily overwhelmed.

'Damn it! Couldn't they ever catch a break? Seems there's a war going on everywhere both on the normal and the preternatural side. When will we ever find peace?' He wondered bitterly.

Sighing, he shoved that moment of 'woe is me' aside and focused on the issues at hand, trying to think what they, in America, could do to stop this war from coming here.

He'd been forced by their own conflicts with the Vampire Council to learn the harsh lesson about how life wasn't fair and all they could do was make the best of it, finding peace where you could and fighting when you had to.

It looked like this was one of those fighting times. Well, he'd been miserable for some time now, maybe doing something else for a while could help him get a grip on his own problems or help him forget them...or buy him some new ones. Pessimistic much?

He grimaced at that last thought. Shaking his head, he focused on Sirius again and found those brown eyes staring into his with sympathy and commiseration. Of course, Sirius's own life didn't sound like a picnic. Come to think of it, despite being well dressed, the man had a lean, hungry look about him. Like he'd been starved a long time not just for food but life itself yet there was a spark of defiance in them as well that said he would not give up no matter what was thrown at him.

"I am curious at how much difference there is between your world and ours. I don't mean about how you guys kept yourselves completely hidden and built an entire society but how different you are from our own more open world of witches, were creatures, vampires and such," he asked carefully.

"Actually, there are two very big differences that I've heard about. Mind you, I'm not that up on just what you Americans have here except for being in the open which just boggles my mind," Sirius responded. "I guess, if I give you a thumbnail description of how my world works then you can tell me how it differs from yours."

"Sounds reasonable," Richard nodded, leaned back in his chair and prepared to listen.


	3. Chapter 3

**A VISIT TO ST. LOUIS**

**Chapter 3: An Eye Opening Discussion**

Over the next half hour, Sirius told his captive audience about the kind of magic his people could do, how werewolves and other magical creatures were treated (that had gotten him growls of anger), and how their society was set up.

Shaking his head when Sirius finished, Richard was both appalled and fascinated. He found it hard to believe there was a spell that could kill and that their magic was quicker and easier to use than the ritual form their witches utilized in America. About magical creatures though...now that just made him mad.

"That's so wrong in so many ways," Richard growled.

"I can't believe such a large society with so much power could be that arrogant. To believe they are better than all other magical races is the height of hubris!" The black guard piped up, his voice dripping disgust.

"Yes, it seems for all their vaunted abilities, they are no better than non-magical humans with their multitude of prejudices. One would have thought with so much power at their command they'd be above such petty attitudes," the Asian guard said ponderously, speaking for the first time.

Sirius had the grace to blush in shame and embarrassment for his people's longtime mistreatment of non-humans. His hosts had a right to feel angry, he would too in their position. He was also pleasantly surprised by the intelligence and obvious learned speech of Richard's guard.

These obviously weren't like the brutes Fenrir Greyback favored in his pack. 'God! Remus would be so happy living here,' he thought, longingly. 'No more running, hiding, and pretending he was human and living on the fringes of society trying hard to survive. Moving here would give him a fresh start and even a job but more importantly, a real pack.'

Sighing, he shoved those wishful thoughts aside and focused on the conversation which was extremely interesting. "I'm forced to agree with you, but unfortunately, it's been like that for centuries," Sirius said, shrugging his shoulders, unhappily. "If we win this bleeding war, I sincerely hope things will change for the better for all magical creatures."

They were silent a moment in the face of that heartfelt statement then Richard felt it was his turn to describe their world to their British guest.

"In America, I can tell you our magic users are witches, vaudan practitioners, sorcerers, animators, and necromancers. They use ritual magic. As for magical creatures, you've encountered a great many of our Were population since you've been here, I'm certain," he gave his guest a lopsided smile. Sirius nodded and smiled back.

"They include but are not limited to: Wolves, rats, leopards, lions, swans, snakes, dragons, foxes, bears, tigers, and dogs. Other creatures I've seen or heard about living here are: a Lamia, trolls, mermaids, ghouls, zombies, demons, the Fae, ghosts, gargoyles, and of course vampires. Our witches may not be able to cast spells with the ease you do, but they are just as powerful as are the rest of us with our more natural abilities. What makes this city more powerful than any other in American, except for New Mexico, is we're organized. Three major Were groups and the Vampires have banded together and cooperate as a team which no one else has done and is the very reason why the Vampire Council is unhappy with us," Richard explained rather matter-of-factly.

One thing the wolf king had said made Sirius stare at him in shock. "Necromancers? Those are dark creatures and not tolerated in our world."

"Another prejudice, huh? My ex-girl friend, Anita is a Necromancer and an animator. She most definitely is not evil but she is powerful. She earns a good living as an animator."

"It's a job?" Sirius was flabbergasted. "People actually pay to have her raise the dead?"

"Yes. It's a very lucrative business here."

Sirius could only gape at him in disbelief.

Richard was amused by the wizard's gobsmacked expression. "Many people die with wills that are contested or questionable. Their survivors need answers as do many insurance companies, so animators raise the dead, let the lawyers and judge ask questions, then the body is returned to rest. Anita is one of the top animators in the country and is very busy. There are other reasons for raising the dead, but that is the most common one."

The raven haired wizard could only shake his head in stunned bewilderment. "Amazing...and where I'm from they don't exist because they've been killed by the government. The Dark Lord is an example of why."

"Well of course, Necromancers can be evil, that's true of anyone with special talents whose only lessons in life were all about being bad or had been seriously abused. We've certainly encountered our share of such people, but not all Necromancers are like that, at least not here. I will tell you, though, the Vampire Council had made a habit of killing these guys for centuries until they are nearly extinct in Europe. Their reasons were Necromancers can control _**all**_ dead which includes vampires when they are out of it during the day, something that scares the pants off them. If they could, they'd kill Anita. As it is, they barely tolerate her existence," Richard observed.

"I can certainly see why and I didn't know they had such an ability," Sirius said, shaking his head in amazement.

"Yeah, well, Anita doesn't like to advertise that fact too loudly. Don't need to freak our own allies out. Only the vamps living close to Jean-Claude know she can do that." Richard lightly cautioned him.

"Understood. Mums the word," Sirius promised, no way wanting to get involved with the politics of this place.

"I think the way your people treat Necromancers says a lot about your failures as teachers. If you had identified the ones born with this ability, brought them up with the proper mentor who would teach them how to use their abilities for good, you'd have fewer evil ones running around trying to take over the world," the Asian guard commented, thoughtfully.

Sirius stared at him in surprise. "I never thought of it that way but you may be right. What is your name by the way?"

Richard blushed in embarrassment at his bad manners. "My apologizes, Sirius. This is Shang-Da, my Hati," he introduced the Asian then pointed at the black man, "...and that is Jamil, my Skoll."

'His bodyguards, I was right,' Sirius thought, congratulating himself on guessing correctly and at being able to translate the meaning of the Norse words. "A pleasure to meet you both. Intelligent bodyguards are a new experience for me and a refreshing one, I assure you," he said sincerely, giving each a friendly smile and nod.

Both men returned his smile with reserved ones of their own and nods at the compliment.

"I"m rather envious. You lot are far more organized and civilized than our kind ever professes to be, especially the way you treat magical races. My best friend Remus would give anything to have a pack like yours and not be soo alone," Sirius said, a note of sadness in his voice they couldn't miss.

Richard, Jamil, and Shang-Da stared at him in consternation. "He doesn't have a pack? Then how does he live among you safely?" Shang-Da demanded, shocked.

"Our not so well liked, potion's master, developed a potion that helps make the beast stay quiet and allows my friend and others like him to sleep through their transformation. Without it, he's a menace on full moons."

"Say what? You mean he can't change when he chooses to without the moon and on full moons he has no control?" Jamil asked, an appalled look on his face.

"What form does he take on moon nights?" Richard jumped in to ask, a nasty suspicion forming in his mind.

Sirius stared at all of them in surprise. They seemed truly upset and shocked by what he'd said about Remus. "Uh...what do you mean chooses to change when he wants too? You can do that? And he's a werewolf. What else would he be?" He asked bewildered.

Richard shook his head in dismay and anger, his suspicion confirmed. "First of all, all Were's that are part of a pack, pard, cackle, or whatever the flavor of Were, are monitored and mentored immediately after they've become infected. No one is left on their own as that is just asking for trouble. Their mentor stays with them around the clock until the poor person learns to handle having a beast within them," Richard explained patiently.

"Secondly, we can change anytime we want or need to. Lycanthropes can assume at least two forms - human and animal with alphas being able to assume a "hybrid" form that is bipedal with animal characteristics or even transform a small part of their body at will. Your Remus sounds like he's an alpha wolf since he favors the biped form. Has he ever taken his four footed form?"

Richard paused in his explanation to ask.

"Not that I ever recalled."

Richard could only shake his head at that admission. "Changing between forms takes a great deal of energy; most lycanthropes must feed immediately after changing to animal form and collapse into a comatose state for several hours after returning to human form. Alphas do not need to feed immediately nor collapse, but are extremely tired. However, there are exceptions to that rule. I, Micah, the leopard's Nimir-Raj, and the Swan King suffer no ill effects from changing our forms quickly."

"Swan King?" Sirius was getting a bit overwhelmed by all this amazing information.

"Yeah, he's something to behold, though I've never seen him take a biped form, only human and swan and he doesn't reside in St. Louis but some of his swanmanes do. Anyway, to continue, if a shifter spends too much time in animal form for whatever reason, they aren't able to shift all the way back to human completely. Micah is one that happened to. His eyes are that of a leopard so he's forced to wear sunglasses when he's out in public. They will never be human again."

Sirius shuddered in horror. An image flashed in his mind of what could happen to Remus if he was forced to remain in his wolf form to escape humans and death eaters for too long. He needed to contact his friend and learn if Remus was taking wolf form at all.

His attention was drawn back to Richard who was summing up his lesson. He smiled mentally as he realized this guy could make a good teacher. 'Wonder what he does for a living?'

"To prevent problems with our beasts, all of us have some safe place to change on full moons so we can enjoy being together and hunt live game. This keeps the inner beast happy and healthy, with the extra benefit of keeping the normal population safe," Richard finished, eyeing their visitor to see how he was handling all he'd heard.

Sirius could only shake his head, too stunned to speak at first as he absorbed all this incredible information. Some of it, especially about the part where werewolves didn't have to suffer needlessly, made him see red.

In a harsh voice he said, "So, our werewolves shouldn't be suffering the way they do if they'd simply been trained on their transformation and were mentored properly...did I hear that right?" Richard nodded. "That just makes me soo mad. To think my best friend has been forced to suffer so much for so many years because we're so stupid."

Richard sighed, feeling sorry for the man. It had to be hard to learn his society had deliberately kept their Weres in a state of bestial slavery for no reason except ignorance then added to the mess by applying punitive methods to keep them under control.

"I'm afraid so. It seems your people have perpetuated a cruel and unnecessary penalty on your Weres," he said, voicing his own disgust and anger at such stupidity.

Sirius simmered. He jumped to his feet and paced under the sympathetic eyes of his hosts. Though anger ran hot through him, so did hope. For the first time since he met Moony, he could see a better life for the solitary man. It was unfair Remus had been forced to live such a hideous life all because wizards thought of them as lesser people. Well that won't continue. No matter what, he would ensure Remus came to America where he stood a real chance of true happiness, and maybe, even find a mate.

As their guest steamed, Jamil thought it best to get him something to soothe his ruffled mind. He quietly set about making a steaming cup of coffee and brought it to the table a few minutes later, setting it on the table.

Richard murmured, "Sirius, have a seat and drink something. It will help calm you. I'm sorry this happened to your friend. I would be willing to meet him and see if he could fit in with my pack if you'd like?"

Sirius stopped pacing and stared at Richard in stunned surprise. Returning to his seat, he blindly reached for the cup and took a sip. A look of disgust crossed his face as he set the cup down hard. "Fah, coffee...nasty stuff. I can't believe how much you Americans enjoy this."

Sighing, Jamil patiently took the offending drink away and dumped it down the sink, rinsed out the cup then set about making tea instead.

"Sorry about that, coffee is the drink of choice around here except for me, so you're in luck that I even have tea around," the wolf king snorted, amused.

"If you didn't have some, I would have asked for another beer, but that would have just made me belligerent and we still have other things to discuss."

Jamil returned at that moment and set down the cup filled with tea, a creamer, and sugar with a spoon in front of Sirius.

"Oh, thank you kindly, Jamil," Sirius said politely, adding some cream but no sugar then drinking. He sighed after a long sip. "Now that's what I needed."

"Glad you like it," Richard smiled.

"I've never had this blend before and I like it very much," Sirius said then went back to their discussion. "Well, I must say, I've certainly learned a lot and I'm absolutely floored by the number of different Weres you have here. It must be pretty crowded but you said there are only three major ones that rule this city and that you've joined with the vamps? That's utterly amazing. I take it you're one of the leaders, who are the others?"

"Though her pard of leopards is small, Anita holds a great deal of power on her own so she is considered a leader with her Nimir-Raj, Micah; Narcissus is leader of the cackle of hyenas and Raphael is King of the rats. The other Weres are few in number so hang together as part of the Furry Coalition."

"The what?"

Richard smirked, "we call it that because the name is so long. It's called the Coalition for Better Understanding Between Human and Lycanthrope Communities. Anita set it up to help build a working relationship between Weres and humans. Micah runs it. Unlike before when the Weres kept strictly to their own clan, forcing everyone to fend for themselves, the coalition convinced them that banding together and helping each other, would make us stronger and safer. It took a while but we're now a force to be reckoned with. No one messes with us. Our program is so popular, many other Were communities around the country are adopting it."

"Wow! That's incredible. This is by far the best run and most hospitable city I've ever heard of for magical races," Sirius exclaimed.

"We'd like to think so, though that certainly doesn't mean we don't have problems," Richard amended.

"Like the Vampire Council..." Jamil grumbled softly.

"You did say they weren't happy with you. They don't like that you've managed to band together, I bet?"

Richard snorted. "That's an understatement. They've been trying to break us up ever since we succeeded in forming the coalition and made it work. No, they're definitely not happy."

"Huh, I can certainly understand why...you threaten their old way of life. Vampires, I've noticed, hate change of any kind. In our case, the council has chosen to sit back and watch us be torn apart. That's actually the only good thing they've done. Apparently, our war is just not that interesting to them despite the amount of blood being let. Of course, they aren't immune to the unforgivable curses so that could be another, more compelling reason, for them to stay out of it," Sirius guessed, shrugging.

Actually, he was relieved the blood suckers had decided to not take sides. He definitely didn't want to have to deal with the likes of them. The werewolves under Fenrir were bad enough.

"That isn't to say, the small fry haven't joined the dark lord and caused us grief. Thankfully, there aren't many of them but they do cause their fair share of damage to our side."

"I sympathize. I have enough trouble getting along with the Master of the City most days."

"I've heard he's not so bad."

"He isn't...trust me...it's complicated. Only because I'm his wolf to call and part of his Triumvirate, do I even get involved with him at all."

"I've heard of such things but never expected to meet someone who was actually a part of one. Doesn't this give you and the others access to a tremendous amount of power?"

Richard grimaced unhappily. "Yeah, it does. Anita is Jean-Claude's human servant, which by the way, is why the council can't just kill her outright like they want to. Since she and I no longer get along very well, being close when power is needed is very painful, emotionally, for all of us, though Jean-Claude does his best to keep the peace between us."

"Ahh...I'm sorry to hear that. But because of your triumvirate, I assume this is why your city is considered so powerful and why you're able to protect your people so much better than others can?" Sirius asked, trying to ease Richard's rather depressed outlook with a little positive feedback.

"Yes, you're right about that. We have many that come here to feel safe and not be abused. So yeah, we are pretty powerful but it also means we're under the scrutiny of the council who want to take it over."

It was Sirius' turn to grimace. "Nasty that. They are the power hungry sort alright."

"That's an understatement if ever there was one," Jamil snorted.

"Let's just say...there have been problems between myself and Anita that have strained the odd relationship we have with Jean-Claude which the Vampire Council is quick to take advantage of it whenever they can."

Sirius sighed, shaking his head. He could see this was a very painful subject for the wolf leader so he veered away from it. Besides he was here on other business and he should get back to it.

"We sort of gotten off the topic a bit. Not that it wasn't a very informative and quite eye-opening chat but I do need to get back to the reason I'm here. You had asked why I was trying to get this fellow Monksworth. The man came here on the orders of the Dark Lord and I need to find out why. Now, if I had some Veritaserum on hand I could feed it to him and have my answers but I don't so I'll have to do it the hard way."

"Verita...what?" Richard asked, frowning.

"It's a very effective potion that forces a person to answer anything they're asked."

Richard's eyebrows rose at that, "Really? That would be extremely handy for the police force, but will it work on normals?"

Sirius shook his head, "sorry, it only makes normals sleepy."

"Oh, well, its was just a thought. So since you don't have this potion, you're going to use brute force then?"

The black haired wizard gave an evil smile. "Nothing I like better than a proper trouncing of a death eater." Then he sighed and frowned. "Unfortunately, the beggars are so terrified of their master, they'd rather die than give it up but I have to try. The Dark Lord wouldn't send someone all the way here to America for no reason."

"Hmm, well how about we give you a little assistance? This does concern us now, obviously, and I've had some experience getting people to answer questions so I might be able to get something out of your death eater."

Sirius eyed Richard a long moment before a malicious grin spread across his mouth. "Even that might not get our answers but if you were to alter to your standing form before the little prig's eyes...well we just might get a response we like."

Richard gave him a very toothy smile. "I'd be happy to. Shall we go to the basement and see our...guest?"

"Yes, let's!" Sirius said, gleefully rubbing his palms together in anticipation.


	4. Chapter 4

**A VISIT TO ST. LOUIS**

**Chapter 4: And Anita Joins the Party**

Richard led the way down to the basement. It was laid out rather nicely. He'd thought it would be a bare, cement area but it was just as nice as upstairs . . . there was a living area with a pool table, couches and comfortable chairs, a small fridge in one corner and a bar in the other. A small hallway led to four rooms. Two doors stood open and as they passed, Sirius could see the first room was the laundry/utility area and next to it was a good sized bathroom with a huge shower stall, toilet, and sink. That left the other two rooms which he guessed were bedrooms.

Richard led him to the last room and opened the door. On a bed lay Monksworth, all tied up with no place to go. He was staring rather blearily at the wolf guard sitting in a chair near the door. The room had a brown carpet, small dresser, and closet. It was simple and pleasant with cream walls totally belying the fact it was presently being used as a prison and now an interrogation room.

Monksworth's attention shifted to them, frown even deeper, still confused by the Confundus Charm. Since they needed him sensible, Sirius removed the charm with a brief wave of his wand and a muttered word. The death eater's eyes cleared then narrowed in a hard stare full of hatred.

"You! I should have recognized you as that mangy cur Dumbledore keeps at his heels," he sneered, nastily.

"Is that the best you can do? A pity . . . but then the Dark Lord was never one to keep bright people around him . . . might out think him, I suppose . . . " Sirius blandly observed, causing the man's eyes to flash with fury.

Richard had signaled the guard to leave the room while Sirius was speaking and now jerked his head at Jamil in an unvoiced order. The black man went to the wizard's side and pulled the man into a sitting position then stayed to guard him from behind.

Now able to stare at Sirius in a less humiliating position, Monksworth, hissed venomously, "you will be sorry, Black. The Dark Lord doesn't bother with worms that dare to interfere with his business . . . you're dead!"

"Hmm, really . . . " Sirius pretended surprise as he twirled around to look at himself. "I seem to be very much alive . . . you, however . . . unless you tell me what the Dark Lord wanted here in America . . . well . . . let's just say . . . dying might be a blessing."

"Your threats are worthless! I would rather die than betray the Dark Lord to some blood traitor," Monksworth sneered then spit at Sirius.

"Hey! This is my home and guests don't spit!" Richard growled.

Monksworth gave Richard a sneering once over. "And who are you to tell me what I may or may not do, American? You are nothing more than a muggle . . . not good for anything but target practice."

"Ohhh, naughty, naughty death eater . . . you don't insult the king in his own castle, " Sirius tsked.

"King? Him? Don't make me laugh, Black."

Sirius just rolled his eyes and gave Richard a significant look. "Like I said before, the Dark Lord hires only idiots for his lackeys. Show him what he's obviously too blind to see or bother to sense, my friend."

"I'd be happy to," Richard said, his voice sounding odd and deeper than a human's should, his eyes already altered to a golden amber.

Monksworth's eyes widened, a chill racing down his spine. He gaped at Richard as the man pulled his clothes off slowly, keeping his eyes on the man on the bed the whole time.

Sirius' tongue nearly hung out as all that lovely man flesh was revealed. Richard was tanned a golden brown and obviously worked out by that glorious six-pack he was sporting and his other equipment . . . well . . . he certainly wasn't small. What a bod! He drooled.

As soon as the last stitch of clothing was off, Richard smoothly transitioned from human to wolf with hardly any effort which was unheard of in England. Even Sirius was taken aback by how swiftly Richard made the change.

Monksworth swallowed hard and tried to back up when the huge, standing wolfman came over and leaned close.

"I am Ulfric here and you are just prey," Richard rumbled, threateningly.

"Nooooo . . . " the death eater screamed in terror, frantically squirming to get off the bed and managing to roll off, nearly hitting Jamil who stepped out of the way to avoid him.

Richard leaped onto the bed and crawled over to stare down at the frightened man, his mouth open, revealing his formidable fangs.

Monksworth shuddered in terror, curling up in a ball as best he could. "Noooo...please don't . . . " he whimpered. No way did he want to become one those damnable things but what his master would do to him was equally bad. He was in an untenable position leaving him unable to speak at all.

Richard's nose wrinkled as did his Skoll's as the scent of urine filled the air. Snorting in disgust he pulled back then got off the bed, returning to his human form with ease.

"Wow! That is just bloody amazing!" Sirius said, shaking his head.

"Only Richard can do that. The rest of us would pass out for hours if we tried it," Jamil commented as he lifted the prisoner up and dumped him back on the bed.

"Jamil!"

"Crap! Sorry sir..." Jamil blushed with embarrassment as he realized he'd ruined the bedspread with the man's urine covered pants.

"Never mind. Just leave him there."

Before they could decide what action to take next, Richard raised his head suddenly and stared at the door with a pained expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked.

"Anita is here," the wolf king growled, heading for the door and up the stairs.

Wanting to meet this person who obviously meant so much to Richard that it caused him such emotional pain, Sirius quickly followed him up the stairs leaving Jamil to guard the prisoner.

Entering the living room, he halted in stunned amazement. The woman standing there stood only a little over five feet tall, a cap of incredibly beautiful, curly, ebony hair fell around a beautiful pale face that was set in hard lines at the moment, her dark brown eyes piercing, missing nothing.

This was a necromancer? He found that hard to believe until he got a bit closer and felt the power emanating from her, though she was obviously shielding hard. Wow! What power! He thought, stunned.

On either side of her were two men who were about her height. One was very handsome, wearing sunglasses (indoors...what was that about?), his body was lithe, like a long distance runner, but was very muscular. The other man was more pretty than handsome with incredibly long auburn hair that was tied up but probably reached the floor when down and amazing lavender eyes. Were these leopards? It felt like it.

"Why are you here, Anita?" Richard growled, less than friendly.

"I heard about what happened in the café today. It concerns me and Jean-Claude when there's magic of that type around," Anita said, quietly, trying to keep things civil between them. Her eyes flicked to Sirius, eyeing him suspiciously. "Who's this?"

Frowning, Richard turned. "This is Sirius Black, a wizard from England and the one who took down the person who killed one of my wolves."

Anita moved closer to Sirius who decided he should stay very still. This woman was extremely dangerous, despite her small size.

"A pleasure to meet you..." he said carefully.

"Why are you here?" she asked, bluntly.

Okay, so she wasn't into polite conversation. "I've already explained to Richard here. Is there a reason I must repeat it again?"

Anger flashed in her dark eyes but before she could snap at him, she halted suddenly, her expression going distant, her head turning toward Richard. For several long minutes, nothing was said...at least aloud anyway. The others seemed to be used to this and spent the time eyeing Sirius curiously.

As for the raven haired wizard, he was a bit nonplused to see evidence of silent communication going on which proved conclusively that these two were indeed a triumvirate. It was rather creepy.

A hiss of air made him turn to stare at the woman, watchfully. Her eyes were now focused on him, anger flared there but her words were civil enough. "So you have a prisoner that won't tell you what you need to know? Perhaps, he needs a little more persuasion."

"I'd welcome anything that will get that information out of him," Sirius said by way of agreement.

"Let's go see him." She headed off toward the basement, obviously very familiar with Richard's house.

Eyeing Richard questioningly, he saw only frustration and annoyance there on the King's face. He just indicated Sirius should go along. Shrugging, he walked toward the staircase where the woman and her men had vanished down.

Soon, he, Richard, Anita and the guy with the sunglasses were in the room, the rest told to wait outside as they confronted Monksworth who now sat up and stared nervously at them when the door opened. He saw her wrinkle her nose at the scent in the room but made no comment.

"I hear you work for someone who thinks he can take over the wizarding world and perhaps the rest of us...I'm sorry to tell you but we have no intention of rolling over and doing his bidding. So, here's what we need from you...tell us what your master wanted here and you just might get a quick death...refuse...well my companions here might have to prove there are worse things than dying," she said in a voice cold enough to freeze water. In her dainty little hand, she held a small but deadly pistol and Sirius had no doubt she knew how to use it.

Monksworth stared at her in disbelief and disgust. He turned to stare nervously at Richard but said, "so you have your women do your work for you...how cowardly..."

With a snort of amusement, Richard altered back to wolf in the blink of an eye. "Oh...you are soo very stupid...you know that? She is the most deadliest thing in this room."

Sirius believed it but could see Monksworth still didn't. Then the other male took off his sunglasses and revealed a pair of yellow-green eyes that didn't belong on a human and teeth that were far longer than they should be. Yep, leopard alright.

Monksworth gaped. Other types of weres just were not that common in wizarding England though they did know of them. Most thought of them as myths. Well that wasn't a myth changing his form with the same ease as Richard had.

A beautiful, black leopard man, standing as tall as Richard's wolf form, stood there but it was what Anita did that made Monksworth turn white as a sheet. Sirius admitted to being a bit freaked by her as well when she let her power fill that room of overwhelming lycanthrope heat with a cold wave that penetrated one down to the bones.

Monksworth's eyes were all pupil as he choked out, "necromancer" then fainted dead away.

"Aw crap!"

Sirius blinked. Such language from a female was a bit surprising and jarring to his sensibilities. Even his crazy cousin, Bellatrix wasn't that foul mouthed.

"Damn it...wake him up Jamil..." Anita cursed in annoyance, then went silent again in that eerie way that said she was talking to someone but it wasn't Richard, he realized.

A chill raced up his spine as he realized it could only be the Master of the City. 'Ah, Sirius, things are really getting out of hand now, old boy, you're well and truly in over your head. These people have more power than maybe even old Voldie. Hey, maybe that's a good thing! That's if I manage to survive all this to go home and find out how that helps us,' he thought, a bit overwhelmed by the involvement of so many powerful beings in this affair.


	5. Chapter 5

**A VISIT TO ST. LOUIS**

**Chapter 5: The Master Steps In**

A dark look passed over Anita's beautiful face, which told Sirius she wasn't happy about whatever her master was saying. He doubted it would bode well for himself or his prisoner but there was little he could do about it now. Glancing over at Richard, he saw a thunderous expression on that handsome face and a muted wave of hot energy struck him, making his neck and arm hair stand on end.

"Uh oh...Jean-Claude has suggested something neither one is happy about," the lavender-eyed leopard murmured to his Nimir-Raj who only nodded, his cat eyes narrowing with concern. He'd already altered back to human form and was putting his clothes back on while they waited.

Before, Sirius could ask what was going on. Richard exploded with curses.

"I'm not too happy either but are you going to blatantly disobey?" Anita asked, in a calm, flat voice.

"Why not? You do it all the time?" Richard snarled at her instantly, eyes glowing amber.

Anita sighed and shook her head. "Yeah, I do but this time, I happen to agree with him. I would rather wring the truth out of that guy myself rather than waste more time, but Jean-Claude does make a valid point."

Richard huffed a few minutes longer before visibly reining in his temper. He made a distracting image to Sirius as he was still quite naked. "He may be right, but I hate going there just to get answers," he rumbled, discontentedly.

Sirius watched as the beautiful but deadly woman stepped closer to Richard and carefully reached out to touch the man's bare arm ever so lightly. He flinched, causing a sad look to cross her face before pulling her hand back and eyeing him cautiously.

"I know, but Jean-Claude is right. Being the Master of the City, he must take command of this or appear weak and not in control. That is something we absolutely can't risk happening not after everything we've done to prove otherwise to everyone outside our city, including the damn vampire council," she said reasonably, her own annoyance plain in her voice.

Richard groaned, turning away from her in disgust and resignation.. He barked, "Jamil! Pick our prisoner up and take him out to the van. We're going to the circus."

Jamil grimaced unhappily but didn't argue. As he reached down and picked up Monksworth like he weighed nothing at all.

Eyeing Richard a moment longer, Anita turned on her heel and went up the stairs, followed immediately by her two leopards.

As everyone was making for the stairs to leave, their British guest stood there giving Richard a confused stare as the man got redressed quickly.

"Circus? Why the bloody hell are we going to a circus this time of night?" Sirius wondered.

Though upset, Richard snorted in pained amusement as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. "The Circus is a huge permanent building owned by Jean-Claude. There's a real live horror-style circus above ground where human's love to go to have fun and be scared but below ground is this warren built a very long time ago and made of concrete. It contains dozens of rooms and offices where many of the preternatural live and work." He turned and began to walk up the stairs but paused to glance back at Sirius, who had shaken off his surprise and was following him. "When we get there just stay close to me and you'll be safe, I promise."

"Believe me, I will stick to you like glue," Sirius assured him, shivering at the idea of going underground where an entire kiss of vampires lived as well as many other preternaturals. Shaking his head in disbelief that he was even doing this, he followed the wolf leader out to the van.

Anita and her group had already departed when they got outside. Richard gestured Sirius to get in ahead of him, indicating where they'd sat before. Right behind them was Jamil, carrying Monksworth, who was still unconscious, with Shang-Da by his side. The prisoner was packed in the rear with his original guards then Jamil took the driver's seat again with Shang-da beside him. In quick fashion, the Skoll started the van and headed out, only going a little over the speed limit, for town again.

"At the circus you will see and meet a great many vampires, other Were's and a few non-humans. My wolves, the rats and hyenas act as security for all of Jean-Claude's ventures as well as functioning as bodyguards when required and in return, he provides us with his protection and other benefits," Richard told him quietly.

"What other benefits might those be?" Sirius asked, curious.

"He's provided us with jobs, medical insurance, our own hospital, and even a retirement plan."

"You must be joking? Why on earth would he do that?" Sirius was flabbergasted.

"No, it's actually good business sense on his part. Giving us a safe place to live, work, and mate insures no one causes trouble with the normals or seeks revenge, keeping our community safe. It has the added benefit of gaining him the loyalty of the preternaturals and lowers our risk of traitors and mass migrations of disaffected people to other groups."

"But why would they seek revenge in the first place? I can see how his set up would keep people out of trouble but why go to all the trouble of doing all that if you guys are out in the first place?" Sirius asked, confused.

"Because, despite being in the open, mundanes still don't accept us completely, so they find ways to circumvent the law that says no one may evict or fire a Were for simply being who they are. They do it nice and legal like so we've been forced to keep what we are secret if we want to live and work among them. Those unfortunate enough to be outed and those that refuse to hide, are offered sanctuary by Jean-Claude. Thanks to the normals prejudice, Jean-Claude is now one of the biggest employer in the area."

"That's incredible...a vampire who gives a damn about his people...I don't think I've ever heard of such a thing before. Most don't give a fig for the members of their kisses as long as they are obeyed and they absolutely refuse to have anything to do with Weres unless they are their animal to call but still those poor blighters are treated as less than dirt. You make Jean-Claude sound like a saint," Sirius said, disbelief patent in his voice.

Richard snorted. "No, he's definitely not a saint. Like most vampires he loves his games of manipulation too much but he's not as bad as the other vampire masters. He's just smart, has great business savvy and actually has a conscious of a sorts. We're just lucky to have one of Belle's line as our leader as they're more love not war types."

"Belle's line?" Sirius frowned as he tried to place who that was then brightened. "Oh, the one known as Beautiful Death."

"That's the one. She's been trying to take over our group from the start but ever since Jean-Claude became his own Sourdre de Sang..." pausing to answer the questioning frown on Sirius face, "that means fountainhead of blood, he's his own bloodline now," he said smiling grimly.

Sirius nodded his understanding then Richard continued, "...she's been forced to play a more subdued game of intrigue with us. It makes for a less than fun time when she makes her attempts but for reasons unknown, we've been able to enjoy a break from her machinations for the past few months, however, not from other interested parties," he sighed, disgusted.

"Now that you have what seems like the idyll set up, no surprise others want it too," Sirius said, pointedly.

"Oh, for sure. But it does wear me out emotionally. There have been many times of late that I wish we could just put out this big sign that says, 'gone on vacation,' to catch our breathes get some much needed rest but, of course, that will never happen."

Sirius gave him a wane chuckle at the image that statement conjured. "I know exactly what you mean, my friend. I'm hardily tired of fighting all the time too."

"I can imagine."

"Despite all your problems, though, you guys still have the most peaceful and cohesive community of any I've seen or heard about. That's something to be proud of and I envy it."

"Having been forcibly thrust into some of those other messy and self destructive groups, I have to agree with you, we are very lucky here."

The conversation had relaxed Richard a little, which pleased Sirius who hadn't missed just how tense and unhappy the man was. It was obvious he didn't like going to see his master. It also helped him get a better picture of how this community was run. But he was curious just what Richard did for the vampire besides being his third in their power structure and pack leader.

"So, what do you do for a living?"

A sad, anguished look flitted through the wolf leader's eyes a moment. "I act as a bodyguard if needed...now," Richard said, distantly.

His sadness told Sirius this wasn't the wolf king's original job. By the sound of it, he was one of the unfortunates who had been outed. Carefully, he reached out to touch Richard on the arm to offer comfort but the moment his fingers touched the man's wrist a spark of intense energy swept up his arm, making him gasp and jerk his fingers away.

The wolf blinked in surprise as well which told the wizard he wasn't the only one who had felt something.

"Merlin's balls! What the hell was that?" Sirius exploded in shocked dismay, rubbing his fingers that were still tingling a bit.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because you're a wizard and I'm a wolf. Our energies sort of clashed a bit," Richard suggested, rubbing his wrist where the wizard's touch still lingered.

"No, it didn't feel like it clashed...more like tasted...okay, I admit that sounds a bit daft but that's the only way I can describe it."

Richard only stared at him. Shaking his head, Sirius decided he'd keep his hands to himself. "I think I'll let that go for now, it just creeps me out. I only wanted to comfort you as you seem to be sad about something. Dare I guess you were outed?" He asked lightly.

Richard grimaced. "Yes and it cost me the job I loved more than anything. I taught science to junior high school students. It was all I ever wanted to do with my life and I got to enjoy it for only a few years before a vaccination that was supposed to keep me safe from the lycanthrope disease gave it to me instead. After that, I worked hard to keep my secret from being exposed and succeeded for many years until very recently. They wasted no time in giving me my walking papers. My students hadn't minded what I was but too many of the parents were too afraid to have me teach their children," he said bitterly.

"I'm so sorry, Richard. My friend, Remus, has been forced to moved from job to job for the same reason. He also was a teacher at one time and a damn good one. The kids loved him and he insured they actually learned the Dark Arts unlike his worthless predecessors. Unfortunately, that cold hearted bastard of a potion's master, deliberately let it be known a werewolf was teaching, forcing Remus to resign. I can't tell how often I've wanted to wring that skinny asshole's neck for making Remus miserable and jobless again," Sirius related, commiserating with Richard and bitterly upset for his friend's sake.

"So not much different than here, eh?"

"Afraid not."

Their conversation ended when the van slowed and pulled into a parking lot. Sirius stared out his window and gaped. Before him was the garish form of a huge clown staring down from the top of a big building. What creeped him out were the fangs in the clown's mouth. In big letters below the horror clown read 'Circus of the Damned'.

"Merlin's balls! You can say that again," he muttered in utter disbelief.

Richard chuckled. "Yeah, that's everyone's reaction when they see this place for the first time."

Jamil drove through the parking lot heading for the rear of the building. Sirius stared at the lines of people waiting as they passed by and was utterly taken aback at the sight of children of all ages waiting to get in with their parents.

"Children are allowed?"

"Oh yes. There are rides, games, side shows, and carnival food. It's safe for the kids...it truly is a circus with all the trimmings. What's different is the macabre setting. There are areas that more adult fare but those are strictly monitored to keep anyone under eighteen out," Richard reassured the wizard.

"You Americans are truly strange."


	6. Chapter 6

**A VISIT TO ST. LOUIS**

**Chapter 6: Meeting Jean-Claude**

Richard smiled wanly at Sirius' comment as Jamil parked the SUV in a spot not far from a rear door. Everyone climbed out. Monksworth was dragged out of the backseat by his two guards, still groggy but beginning to wake up more as he was roughly held by his arms and forced to walk behind the group heading for the building.

At the metal door, Richard banged on it. It popped open immediately and another shapeshifter stared at them. Sirius could sense 'rat' as the species. The swarthy looking individual, wearing black leather pants and a black dress shirt that said 'Security' on it, nodded his head respectfully to the Ulfric and stepped back inside, leaving the group to troop in.

"He's expecting you in his office," the guard murmured, eyeing Sirius curiously.

Obviously wondering what I am since I don't smell like a shifter, Sirius thought, watching Richard nod at the rat before walking past him into the building.

As they passed over the threshold and into the interior, Sirius was bombarded by the sights, scents, and sounds of an honest to God circus. Popcorn and cotton candy filled his nose as the sounds of children's high pitched laughter reached his ears.

Staying close to Richard, he stared at the milling crowds and all the familiar sights of a circus. The last time he'd been to one was when he was only twelve and still naive about the world. He sighed wistfully as they passed out of view into a corridor that ended at a very heavy door.

There was no one guarding this door, at least not visibly. The camera in a far corner told him eyes were on him. He'd learned those were called security cameras and they were feeding the images of the corridor to a distant office somewhere with lots of screens and security keeping watch. He envied them this method of monitoring though wizards did have their sometimes sneakier methods that were better in some circumstances. But the advantages of using such a system as this in the wizarding world was no one would realize they were being watched at all. Of course, it was wishful thinking as tech wasn't compatible with magic.

He blinked suddenly as he realized something. Wait now, if that were true, then how did these people manage to use tech here? Magic permeated the air around him so thickly, he could feel it on his skin, yet they could use tech with no problems...how was that possible? He'd have to ask as this could be a big deal back in the UK.

Perhaps, they could finally move forward into the modern age that muggles existed in. Unlike his peers and their enemy, Sirius realized muggle kind could very well destroy them with all their high tech bombs and manufactured diseases. Watching a science show on his host's TV one night had given him a frightening eyeful of just what muggles were capable of.

Old Voldie was a fool to think he could take them over or cow them. Yes, he could frighten them but that would backfire spectacularly on wizarding kind, possibly destroying them. He had nightmares after that viewing for sometime afterward. He wished he could convince the rest of the order just how out of touch they were with the modern world, but he'd have to convince them to sit before a muggle computer and see what he'd seen, however, that didn't mean they would believe what they saw and heard.

He was brought back to the present by Richard opening the door and heading down the oddest set of stone stairs he'd ever seen. Fluorescent lightning had been set in the ceiling to brighten their path but he could see where torches had once been used by the old stanchions still affixed to the cold rock walls...not cement surprisingly...which told him just how old this underground space truly was.

"Why on earth are the stairs so wide and huge?" he asked as he carefully navigated them downward.

"No one knows and I don't think anyone wants to," Richard answered.

"Creepy." Snickers greeted that comment from the others.

Richard smiled, continuing down the stairs till they reached the landing at the bottom. The staircase, however, continued downward. Sirius wondered how many basement levels there were in this place but decided he really didn't want to know.

The door on the landing was another heavy, thick one which told the wizard how well built this place had been made and just how serious they were about security. Richard opened it to reveal a very busy corridor.

The long hall was filled with people going about their business. There were many doors along the hall and he could see it curve off at the end leading to most likely more of the same. Wow, this place is huge! He thought, amazed.

As they made their way down the hall, Sirius could feel vampires and weres passing them in both directions. His mouth gaped at the sight of so many incredibly beautiful males and females, but then he remembered this was from Belle's line. Sex and beauty were what she sought in her vampires.

Richard stopped at a door that simply said 'Manager's Office' and opened it without knocking. They trooped into a nicely appointed office that was large and roomy. A black leather couch took up one wall; a huge oak desk took up space on the right of the entry; comfortable, padded chairs were set here and there; an expensive carpet, he was sure was Persian, graced the floor and expensive paintings were hung on the walls. In one corner to the right a computer desk sat with an up-to-date computer PC setup with printer on it and finishing the room was a filing cabinet sitting behind and to one side of the bosses desk.

He could only shake his head. Again, technology was present where magic held sway. He had to find out how they were able to do that.

He'd been so busy studying the office decor, he'd failed to actually look at the people waiting there for them. On the couch was Anita and her two leopards, sitting at the desk was a drop dead gorgeous male with long black hair that curled becomingly around his face.

Before he quickly lowered his eyes, Sirius caught sight of a pair of dark blue eyes set in a handsome face. The Master of the City was wearing black slacks with a white silk shirt and black boots. Behind his chair, staring at Sirius with interest, was another incredibly beautiful male with long hair the color of spun gold and a face like an angel though half the face was covered by the hair and the eyes...Sirius couldn't remember ever seeing eyes that pale a blue...except on a Husky.

He began to find it hard to breath as the combined energy of so many powerful creatures pressed down on him...so much power, so little space, and no where to run. Suddenly, he had an overwhelming desire to flee as far as he could from here.

Before he could make a move toward the door a comforting and reassuring hand dropped on his shoulder. A head of shaggy dark hair dropped close to his face and murmured quietly in his ear, "...breathe, Sirius...you'll be alright ... just take deep breathes," Richard advised, gently.

Sirius shivered and panted but tried to do what the wolf king had suggested. Focusing hard on the rug at his feet, he listened to his own breathing and the frantic beat of his heart. It took him a moment to realize all that overwhelming power had been suddenly pulled back, making it easier to breathe and rein in his panic.

Of course, it helped a lot feeling Richard's power and strength pouring through him as the man continued to press his body close helping him relax even more. His pulse finally slowed so he could face the vampires without fear. He had never been in the presence of so much power before and he was rather ashamed at how it had made him nearly bolt.

But if he thought it had been bad for him, for Monksworth it was outright terrifying. The death eater had screamed and fought to get away from his guards and out of the room. They were forced to hold him tightly and one had placed a hand firmly over the panicking man's mouth to stifle the screams. Now back under control himself, Sirius quickly pulled his wand and barked a command. Monksworth went still and silent, his face a blank.

Sirius put his wand away and turned back to the Master of the City, carefully, staring at the man's chest and not his eyes. "Sorry about that. I just put a calming spell on him until we're ready to question him."

"Thank you, monsieur. That was appreciated," a beautiful voice responded. Sirius gulped. The master's voice was like soft velvet brushing over his body. He could see how such a gift would make anyone do anything for him. Jean-Claude was sex personified.

"Y-y-you're welcome," Sirius found himself stuttering and blushing hotly.

"Tone it down, Jean-Claude. He's our guest and you're overwhelming him," Richard growled.

"That was not my intention my wolf. My apologies, Monsieur Black," the vampire said, nodding his head politely, his voice soothing, rather than sexy, as he stared at Sirius with those incredible eyes.

The feeling of heat and sex pulled away suddenly leaving Sirius feeling somehow bereft ...oh yea...Jean-Claude was very dangerous. He was glad he wasn't meeting the Master of the City alone.

"Welcome to America. Richard has brought me up to date as to why you are here. Now we must determine what your enemy is seeking. I will not tolerate someone invading my territory and killing one of my people," Jean-Claude said in that same silky voice but there was steel and anger in it which sent a cold shiver down Sirius' spine.

"I appreciate any assistance you can give me, sir. May I say, the Dark Lord has made a very big mistake coming here. I can tell the fool has stepped into something far more powerful than he is and I hope like hell it bites the bastard in the ass for it or at the very least, sends him straight to hell for all the people he has killed over the years," Sirius growled, hotly.

"Perhaps, but we'll have to see what it is your enemy wants first then we'll know if it's something we need to be involved in," the Master of the City warned, not willing to make any promises yet until he knew what was going on. "To that end, if you would be so kind as to remove your spell mon ami so we might question this man."

"Of course." Sirius turned and waved his wand again, muttering a spell under his breath.

Instantly, Monksworth, who had been swaying in the hands of his guards, returned to the present, eyes wide with terror but a body bind kept him from running or fighting.

"You have another spell on him?" the blond vampire asked, curious. His voice too was soft and silky with a hint of steel in it. Though, not as powerful as the Master of the City, this wasn't a vampire Sirius wanted to be on the wrong side of.

"Yes. It's called a body bind, sir. I figured it would make questioning him easier. It won't last more than fifteen minutes though."

"Ahh, thank you for that and it shouldn't take long to get what we need from him," Jean-Claude said with calm assurance, rising from his seat and approaching the prisoner who frantically kept his eyes downcast. Much of his earlier belligerence gone since his meeting with Anita.

Speaking of the necromancer, the petite female rose to her feet as well and stood to one side of her master, eyeing Monksworth with contempt.

Sirius was happy to allow them to do the questioning, stepping back to put more distance between himself and the powerful pair. Richard moved back with him until he, his guards, and his guest were leaning against the door and watching closely.

"Monsieur, I wish to know what your master has sent you here to seek. I strongly advise you to be honest for I will know if you are not," Jean-Claude asked the prisoner, coolly.

Monksworth was sweating and most likely would be trembling in terror if not for the body bind. Answering would get him killed but not answering, truthfully, would also get him killed and there was no assurance that telling them what they wanted to know would save him, so he was totally unable to decide what to do.

"I can't! He will kill me if I betray him," he decided to say.

"But I will kill you sooner if you do not or I could do something far worse than death," Jean-Claude promised, silkily.

Monksworth shuddered inside. The vampire's voice pulled at him but he was able to resist...barely. Black had only left his head free of the bind so he was able to turn it to stare nervously at the small woman staring at him with cold, deadly eyes. He could guess what the master meant by 'worse than death'. Even though he was able to resist the vampire's voice, he already knew he wouldn't win against the necromancer. He feared her abilities far more.

Licking his lips, he didn't know what to do.

"I don't appreciate being kept waiting Monsieur Monksworth. I suggest you speak up quickly."

The man shook his head violently.

"_Jean-Claude, it's obvious his master has him too terrified to disobey," _Anita said, mind to mind.

"_Yes, I have already determined that ma petite."_

"_Then what do you intend to do to get the information out of him?"_

"_There is one more thing we could do...threaten to kill him then raise him as a zombie to get our answers..."_

"_But that will take several days..."_

"_He does not know that," _her master said smugly.

Anita nearly rolled her eyes. Jean-Claude was right, she very much doubted this fool had any idea what a necromancer/animator did in the US since they killed her kind instantly when they appeared in Europe which was why there were none overseas except, apparently, this Voldemort character.

"_You're right. Have at it then."_

"_So glad you approve, ma petite." _She snorted, amused._  
_

"I'm afraid monsieur, you leave me no choice but to kill you then raise you as a zombie. Either way we will have our answers," Jean-Claude said easily, as if he were simply ordering dinner rather than an execution.

Monksworth's eyes were impossibly huge, horror in them at the threat of such a thing being possible.

"What is your decision, monsieur?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A VISIT TO ST. LOUIS**

**Chapter 7: Voldemort's Plans**

Fear making him stupid, Monksworth's blurted, "you can't do that!"

The Master's velvety voice held steel and certainty as he leaned closer and said silkily, "Au contraire mis a me ... my servant is very skilled at raising the dead. You should have done your homework about Americans. Apparently, they can do a lot of things your kind have never dreamed of. Your answer! Now!"

Monksworth shuddered, a cold sweat trickling down his back as he tried not to show how frightened he was as he contemplated his options. He didn't know that was a wasted effort as every supernatural in the room could scent his fear and relished it.

Blissfully unaware, he focused on what he could tell the Master of the City that wouldn't get him killed by his own master. Nothing came to mind as the choices were death at the Dark Lord's hands or the vampire's but the difference was Jean-Claude would kill him _then_ bring him back and make him answer anyway.

A no win situation.

He groaned inside. He couldn't even warn his leader of the true danger to his cause. Feeling morose and defeated, Monksworth swallowed the bile threatening to rise in his throat and capitulated ... after all, what choice did he have? He was dead either way.

"The Dark Lord wished to determine how powerful your triumvirate is," he muttered, bitterness choking him.

The master's eyebrows rose in puzzlement. "And to what purpose could knowing that give him?"

"If you were as powerful as rumor said, he planned to capture you all and use you as a weapon against the Light, putting down the last of the resistance." He refused to elaborate. They would have to get it out of him piece by piece. At least he would not feel like a complete traitor to his master.

"He could try!" The werewolf king growled.

"This Dark Lord thinks very highly of himself," the Master said disdainfully, moving away from Monksworth.

Stunned and angry that his master was being taken so lightly, Monksworth hissed, "He's the most powerful wizard in all of Europe."

"Oh please!" the necromancer interrupted, snorting in derision and rolling her eyes. Though he feared her and dared not look at her, Monksworth seethed inside. How dare they make fun of his master?

With a yawn of disdain, the vampire with the stunning fall of spun gold hair and beautiful face (at least the half he could see) spoke, his French origins clear in his words, "What an arrogant fool this Voldemort person be. His fancy spell crafting and frightening demeanor may have scared the British sheep he's terrorized for years, but the idea of him attempting to take over the whole world is ludicrous. That is someone who has lost his sanity a long time ago."

Monksworth burned with hatred as he spat out, "The Dark Lord brought himself back from the dead and built an army to do his biding. None can stand before him!"

The necromancer moved so suddenly Monksworth hadn't registered she'd moved at all until she was right next to him. Leaning close, her face tipped upward as she was very petite, she spoke in a voice filled with acid.

"Look asshole! There are far deadlier things in the supernatural world than your demented leader and you have ever conceived of in your worst nightmares. He's so low on the bad boy list he doesn't even rate a mention."

He didn't believe her, they were just trying to make him drop more information. Well, he wouldn't so he just glared at her. But it had no effect on her. She didn't blink nor back down. Unease slithered up his spine. Was she telling the truth and, more importantly, did he really want to know?

Apparently, he wasn't going to be given a choice as she continued, "There's an evil out there so terrible that her name isn't even whispered for fear she'll hear you. She ruled the world before mankind was a speck in God's eye. She's the mother of all vampires and weres and just so you don't think I'm blowing smoke up your ass, here's a sample of my last unfortunate contact with her."

Before he could react to her crass language, his mind was suddenly engulfed by a powerful, dark evil unlike anything he'd ever encountered. Not even the Dark Lord's insanity and loathsomeness could equal what he felt now. The weight of that evil presence, though only an echo of the real thing, wrenched a scream of terror from him. Then, just as suddenly, it was gone, leaving him limp, throat raw, and mind gibbering with gratefulness that he'd not met this thing in person.

Blinking tears he'd not known he'd shed, Monksworth stared down at this little female in horrified respect. He couldn't think how she had managed to survive her contact with such evil and still have her mind intact. His heart sank. Lord Voldemort was indeed screwed, as the necromancer had so eloquently stated. There was no hope for their brethren to win this war and now he was glad he would not be alive to see it.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Sirius felt left out. What was Blake talking about? What threat could be greater than old moldyshorts? He frowned and waited to see what would happen then swallowed a gasp when Monksworth turned white and screamed as if he was being flayed alive.

What the bloody hell?

Blake looked a little white too as she moved away from her victim and sat down rather abruptly on the couch, the leopard king wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders. Whatever Blake had shown Monksworth, he knew he never wanted to meet it nor feel it's power, especially if just the memory of it could drain her like that. It was growing obvious that the Americans knew more dangerous and powerful supernatural creepies than the Brits knew existed and that made him shiver with fear. Glad I'm not their enemy, he thought.

Shaking his head, he pushed that revelation aside and focused on what Monksworth had told them. What a diabolical plan! Using a powerful triumvirate could have tipped the battle in moldyshorts favor alright. But now that they were warned, how useful was this knowledge to the Americans and would they help us?

Then there's the threat Blake had shown Monksworth. Was that something his people should be worried about? Just what was so damn scary that the death eater would scream like a girl and Blake looked like warm milk?

As much as he didn't want to know, not knowing could kill them all. What have I gotten myself involved with? Sirius wondered. It didn't help to feel Richard shudder too when Blake did her thing.

The longer I'm here the deeper the bog gets, he thought miserably. Jean-Claude's voice pulled him from his dark thoughts.

With calm assurance he gave orders. "I think we need to discuss this matter a little more. Richard, have one of your wolves take this man to a cell. We'll decide his fate later. And if you would be so kind, Monsieur Black to remove your binding spell but retain some kind of spell that will prevent him from using his magic?"

"Actually, sir, without his wand he's incapable of doing much of anything. Only a rare few can do wandless magic and I highly doubt he's one of them," Sirius assured him.

"I will trust your expertise on that monsieur. Richard, have him taken away," Jean-Claude ordered.

The guards waited for Sirius to remove the body bind then nearly dragged the prisoner away as it seemed the man's legs were too weak to completely hold his weight. Richard opened the door to allow them to exit then shut it again.

"Please...everyone take a seat," the Master of the City commanded, going behind his desk and seating himself. He rested his elbows on the chair arms, then clasped his fingers together as he waited for them all to settle.

Richard gently took Sirius arm and tugged him toward a pair of padded chairs against the wall while Anita returned to sit between her leopards on the couch. The blond vampire opted to remain standing behind Jean-Claude, his light blue eyes narrowed in thought.

"So what do we do about this idiot who thinks he can take over the world?" Blake asked, bluntly.

"That is what we must decide, ma petite."

"We can't ignore it and say it's the Brits problem," Richard was quick to say. Though he hated taking on yet another problem when they were buried under more serious ones already but even he had to admit this couldn't be ignored.

"Unfortunately, my wolf, we aren't in complete control of our country only this city. To try and interfere in a wizarding war in another country will take much convincing of our allies here in the US and that will take time we may not have."

"Then we do it under the radar. We've done it before," Richard grunted.

Jean-Claude sighed and leaned back in his seat. "If only it were that easy, mis a me."

"Nothing for us ever is."

"Too true. Suggestions?"

No one said anything. Everyone knew action needed to be taken but the St Louis supernaturals were hardily tired of the fact it ended up always being them.

"At the rate we're going, we should be a council of our own, Anita said aloud, her expression sour. We're always taking care of everyone else's problems and get no thanks for it but if we don't do it our world will go up in flames. What a mess."

"A perfect summation of our chronic problems, ma petite," Jean-Claude sighed.

"Though I and my fellow members of the Light do appreciate the thought of you helping us, I didn't come here to ask it of you. It is pretty clear you're up to your chest in excrement already," Sirius piped up. "My mission was to find out what the Dark Lord wanted and I've gotten that. So I thank you all for your assistance. Now, I really must be getting home."

"I truly appreciate your willingness to not ask, Monsieur Black. Unfortunately, now that cat is out of the bag, as it were, we cannot ignore this threat. And threat it is despite it being over seas. No, we must figure out how to deal with this and take care of it once and for all."

Sirius sighed. I was afraid of that, he thought.


End file.
